Monsters of Rock

Monsters Of Rock

Monsters Of Rock is not your regular cliché hard rock specialty show.

Monsters Of Rock™ is not your regular cliché hard rock specialty show. Simply put… “Monsters of Rock™ is the best show out there.” This radio program boasts the most impressive guest list in the entire rock industry. Recent in-studio fun and games with Motley Crue, Ozzy, Bon Jovi, Metallica, AC/DC, Poison, Guns ‘N Roses & Aerosmith, separate this show from the norm. …..in-studio jams, backstage interviews and a dream line-up of guest’s combine to make Monsters of Rock™ the hottest show on radio.

Harlan has issued a challenge to all the closet lovers of ’80s metal: It’s time to step up — fist held high, pinkie and index fingers extended — and get ready to rock! “There’s no need to be embarrassed anymore for loving Arena Rock,” he says proudly. The hair-band era has found a champion, scholar and historian in Harlan, a Hollywood-based DJ who spreads his message via his show, the Monsters of Rock. Monsters of Rock has become a hit with head bangers across the country who melt down to its weekly three-hour dose of heavy metal and hard-candy rock. The show has become a guilty pleasure for those who hunger for the music of their youth. “It’s the classic rock of a new generation,” Harlan says boldly. “Kids that are my age know that this music was their Zeppelin and Stones of the day. But people aren’t getting it when they turn on the radio. I quench their thirst.” Simple and heavy is a formula that seems to endure. Much of the show’s appeal lies with Harlan himself. His on-air persona is much like his real personality: amped, fast-talking and friendly, with a palpable enthusiasm and intelligence. His voice bears a slight tough-guy tinge that recalls his Philadelphia upbringing, and his insight into his music of choice reflects his own professional credibility. Truly great radio! The song selections on Monsters are its biggest draw, however. Harlan plays hits and deeper album cuts by such artists as Kiss, Sweet, Cheap Trick and Alice Cooper, along with the Me Decade stuff he loves.

“The mainstay is definitely the mid-’80s — the Mötleys, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Guns N Roses; that’s the mainframe. Then we’ll dip into the bands that watered it down a little bit — the Wingers, Firehouse, that sort of stuff.” He’ll also play new tracks from people like Alice Cooper, Slash and others who fill arenas but can’t get a minute on the radio. The ’80s pop metal is key, though. “It’s fun, period,” Harlan says. “But there’s also a nostalgic factor to it. It was the hottest stuff out back in the day, back when all you worried about was keg parties and dating. And the music, while there’s some trappings of message, it’s basically girls, cars, drugs and rock and roll and having a good time. You know, ‘My car is cool. Let’s drive down the street and play some music.'”

But although the music might be lighthearted, Harlan listeners, he says, “are very serious. They don’t snicker at all about this stuff. They live and breathe it and are very knowledgeable. They know it.” “I think the main thing that’s driving it is that a lot of the people who were raised on this music are now getting to an age where they can say, ‘Hey, this was important, if for no other reason than it was important to me and my friends.'” “With everything going on in the world today,” he adds, “people can use some fun music.”

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